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May 16, 2011 09:16 pm PDT
Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/25C5GhIUhUs/guatemala-27-massacr.html
Guatemala: 27 massacred, decapitated in Petn by paramilitary drug gang Los Zetas
On a farm in the rural northern Petn region of Guatemala yesterday, 27 Mayan peasants were murdered—almost all of them decapitated— after refusing to tell a group of some 200 armed men where to find the ranch owner. Guatemalan media reports that the ranch was run by the brother of one of the country's most notorious drug lords. This may be the worst single incident of violence since the country's 36-year civil war ended, and is seen by many in the country as a symbolic act of political terror, while the nation prepares for presidential elections. As messages at the scene literally written in victims' blood show, the killing was carried out by Los Zetas, a paramilitary Mexican drug gang that in recent years has expanded throughout Central America. The organization is understood to have recruited large numbers of kaibiles from Guatemala; the elite special forces division of the Guatemalan army trained in jungle warfare, who were responsible for massacres of indigenous peasants during the civil war. Renata Avila at Global Voices has a thorough roundup of news links and updates from people in Peten who have posted notes and photos to Twitter. Since yesterday's massacre was discovered, reports have emerged from Guatemala that the Zetas bombed a school and police station in the same area. At the top and inset of this post, above: photographs tweeted from the scene of the mass killing by Twitter user Tekandi Paniagua, who traveled to the scene today, as did the Guatemalan president and senior members of the Guatemalan government and military police. Tweeting from the site, Tekandi described what he saw as "Scenes from a horror movie," with the farmworkers' residences torn apart, belongings shredded, blood everywhere. Noting the extreme violence documented in the evidence the killers left behind, Tekandi described what he witnessed as "unforgettable and horrendous," adding, "I honestly believe that [now] only God can rescue Guatemala." The massacre took place in Caserio La Bomba, a small pueblo in the jungle about 275 miles (440 km) north of the nation's capital, Guatemala City. The site is near the town of La Libertad, Google Maps link here. The Pten region has become increasingly lawless in recent years as the power and presence of drug cartels grows; some refer to it as the country's "wild west." This jungle region is also where some of the greatest ruins of the ancient Maya are located, including Tikal. News coverage: PrensaLibre (Spanish, includes video); BBC News, Reuters, AP, CNN, Below, graphic photos from Reuters that show Guatemalan police standing by the dead bodies at the massacre site in Caserio La Bomba, near the border with Mexico. Photos taken today; the killings took place Sunday morning. Click to un-mosaic and view photos unaltered. [WARNING, GRAPHIC IMAGES]...
Original Link: http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/25C5GhIUhUs/guatemala-27-massacr.html
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